ANALYSISKnox, 26, is still suffering the lingering effects of a devastating back injury he suffered in a game in December 2011. Often struggling to sit or stand comfortably and walking with a limp over a year after the injury, Knox said he came to grips with the reality that he'll never be able to perform the same way again on the football field. He retires with career numbers of 133 catches, 2,214 yards, and 12 touchdowns, with one Pro Bowl bid (2009) to his credit.

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Receiving Alignment Breakdown

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2012

2011

2010

2009

After a horrific back injury last season, Knox is yet to step on a practice field this offseason. The receiver remains confident he can return sooner rather than later, but his weak frame and lack of conditioning suggest otherwise. Knox is a strong candidate for the PUP list to start the year, and frankly it would be a surprise if he saw the field at all in 2012.

Despite not living up to the fantasy preseason hype, Knox actually had a pretty good second year. The Bears' primary deep threat, Knox averaged 18.8 YPC and 9.6 YPT. He caught 17 passes of 20 yards or more and four of 40-plus. At 6-0, 185, Knox is slight by NFL standards, and he's not going to see much work from in close (13 targets). But this is a player who ran a 4.26 40 at the NFL Combine, plays in an offense with big-armed Jay Cutler at quarterback and offensive guru Mike Martz as his coordinator and is heading into his third year. He'll need to become a more complete receiver to take the next step, but there's some upside here.

Like Devin Aromashodu, Devin Hester and Earl Bennett, Knox is in the mix for targets in the Mike Martz/Jay Cutler show. Knox is the fastest of the four wideouts, running a blazing 4.26 40 at the 2009 NFL combine. At 6-0, 180, he’s not very stout, but he has good hands and runs good routes. He’s not much of a red-zone threat, and despite his home run speed, Knox ran mostly shorter routes last year. Still, given Cutler’s big arm and Martz’s aggressive play calling, there’s plenty of upside here if the team turns Knox loose down the field. At press time, Martz named Knox one of his preliminary starters along with Hester, though a lot can change over the summer, and the Bears will likely run plenty of three and four receiver sets.

Knox impressed coaches at this season's OTAs and will be given a chance to become an impact player in the Bears' wide receiver corps. He's still likely to enter the season as a depth guy, but nothing is set in stone. He's very unlikely to have much fantasy value.

More Fantasy News

Johnny Knox: (Back) Released By Chicago

WRChicago Bears

Back

February 12, 2013

Knox (back) was released by Chicago on Tuesday, Sirius Radio's Adam Caplan reports.